Concord city attorney apparently leaps to his death

Published 9:28 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Concord’s City Council meeting was canceled after the death of Mark Coon.

Concord’s City Council meeting was canceled after the death of Mark Coon.

Photo: Chronicle File Photo\Paul Chinn, SFC

Concord city attorney apparently leaps to his death

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Concord City Attorney Mark Coon died Tuesday, apparently after leaping from the third floor of a downtown Walnut Creek parking garage, authorities said.

Friends and acquaintances were baffled by the apparent suicide, saying they had seen no obvious indications of distress in Coon recently. Tuesday’s Concord City Council meeting was canceled and grief counselors spent the day consoling city employees.

“I’m sincerely devastated by the loss, for his family and friends and for the city,” said Concord City Councilman Ron Leone. “He was a great person, a tremendous asset to the city, and this is a big blow to us.

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“It’s hard for me to believe this happened, because there were no outward signs that I could see that anything could cause him to do this.”

Coon, 55, fell from the garage shortly after 10 a.m., startling shoppers below in the busy shopping strip of Locust Street, just south of Olympic Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews.

Walnut Creek police said they are investigating the incident, but it was likely a suicide.

“I have known Mark for many years and respected him both as a city employee and as a friend,” City Manager Valerie Barone said in a statement sent to city employees. “The city has suffered a great loss that will be felt for many years.

“Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”

Coon was hired by Concord in 2002 as a deputy city attorney, after a private career specializing in a wide range of issues including employment and environmental law. A meticulous lawyer known for double-checking his work and extensively researching each issue he took on, he was named city attorney in 2012 by the City Council.